Three bald eagles caught in swirling brawl in the sky, video capturing the end

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WALA) - A brawl between bald eagles left one severely hurt, and video captured the battle.

It happened at Gulf State Park back in December when visitors noticed three eagles fighting in the air.

Two made an escape. The third was left for dead.

It’s mating season, and according to some wildlife specialists, they suspected two male birds were fighting over a female.

Video showed two of the eagles fighting with their beaks interlocked. One limply was defeated while the other flew off. A total of three were seen fighting in the air, talons intertwined before the weakest took the biggest blow and fell.

Immediately, people who saw it happen reported it, and the eagle was taken to the Orange Beach Wildlife Center.

Quickly, all hands were on deck.

“The first 24 hours were a little touch and go,” said Julie Lesznar, wildlife rehab specialist. “When we got him, he couldn’t stand up on his own. He had bad injuries to his left eye. We had him on an oxygen chamber overnight to relax and reassess in the morning, and much to our surprise, he really turned around in those 24 hours.”

For four weeks, the strong guy underwent flight therapy, passing tests to make sure he could survive back in the wild.

Six weeks after the fight, he flew majestically back where he belongs in the wilderness.

“This is the first adult bald eagle that we’ve ever released,” said Lesznar. “We’ve only ever released one other eagle, and it was a juvenile, so having this bird in our care was so, so cool, and we were lucky to have him and be able to help him back to the wild.”